1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a safety binding which is adapted to retain the front end of a boot on the ski, and to free this end of the boot when it exerts an excessive bias on the binding.
More particularly, the invention relates to a support element whose front binding is equipped, i.e., the plate which is generally positioned on the rear of the front binding, and on which rests the sole of the boot.
2. Description of Background and Relevant Information
In a conventional manner, the front of a ski boot is retained in a safety binding jaw. The jaw comprises a sole holder which covers at least partially the upper surface of the front end of the sole, and retains the sole of the boot supported against the support element.
In a vertical direction the front of the sole of the boot is thus engaged between the support element and the sole holder.
It is known that soles can have different thickness by virtue of their tolerances of manufacture. Likewise, the soles of boots adapted to children or young adults (junior soles) have a smaller thickness than the sole of boots adapted to adults (senior soles).
In a manner so as to allow for the adaptation of the binding to soles of different thickness, it is known to equip the sole holder with height adjustment means. Such an adjustment means is for example described in French Patent 2,458,299.
Likewise, French Patent 2,555,457 discloses a support element whose upper surface is adjustable in height in a manner so as to compensate for variations in thickness of the sole. These two modes of adjustment give good result, but they require manual intervention.
Thus, a binding which has been initially adjusted for a junior sole necessarily requires manual adjustment if it is to be utilized thereafter with a senior sole. Otherwise, the front end of the sole is tightly pinched between the support element and the sole holder which causes a very substantial increase in the release values, i.e. the force that the boot must overcome to be freed.